The chess world was abuzz last week over news of the resignation of FIDE (World Chess Federation) president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov. Even more perplexing was Ilyumzhinov’s denial of the resignation.
Ilyumzhinov has long been a controversial figure in the chess world. While he ran the Russian republic of Kalmykia, he spent huge sums building “Chess City.’’ He has claimed that he was abducted by aliens and that the aliens brought chess to Earth.
Lately, he has been accused of helping Syria evade US sanctions. This got him listed on a US Treasury Department sanctions list. Following this, he withdrew “from any legal, financial and business operations of FIDE’’ until he is removed from the sanctions list. George Markopoulos, the FIDE deputy president, was given day-to-day control.
It would seem, based on battling letters from Ilyumzhinov, FIDE executive director Nigel Freeman, and Markopoulos, what happened was that Ilyumzhinov became highly agitated at a FIDE board meeting and stated not once but three times that he was resigning. The board took him at his word and put the statement on its website. Shortly thereafter, Ilyumzhinov held a press conference in Moscow with the Russian Chess Federation president and FIDE vice president Andrei Filatov at his side, where he denied resigning. It would seem that the only public support he is getting is from Filatov and the Russian Chess Federation.
There are plenty of questions here, which may be resolved at a special FIDE board meeting scheduled for April 10.
Coming events: April 8, Boylston $15 Open, 40 Norris St, Cambridge, www.BoylstonChess.org; April 7, 14, 21, 28Billerica Friday Night Swiss, Billerica Chess Club, Council on Aging, 25 Concord Road, Billerica, Arthur978@Comcast.net
Recent results: 33rd NESSP Chess Tournament Advanced: 1st: Henry Yu-Feng Han, 4-0, Intermediate: 1st: Michelle Zhang, 4-0; Novice: 1st: Franklin Philipp Lewis, 3.5; 1st: New England Chess Challenge, 1st – 2nd: Alon Harty, Y Owen Ji
Answer to today’s problem: 1. Nf6+ Kh8 (1…Qxf6 2.Qxc7) 2.Ne8! wins material as 2…Qxe8 3.Qxc7 or 2…Ra7 3.Qxg7 mate
Chris Chase can be reached at BostonGlobeChessNotes@gmail.com.
